Fine and Studio Arts graduates from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale earn $44,902 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $25,000.

Fine and Studio Arts at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois • Bachelor's

Median Earnings
$44,902
Graduates earn above the national average for this program

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Fine and Studio Arts at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Fine and Studio Arts at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 28 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.

Median graduate earnings of $44,902 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $41,861 across all institutions offering Fine and Studio Arts, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the mean median-earnings figure is $64,761, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.

Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Fine and Studio Arts graduates at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale is $25,000, which translates to roughly $208 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.56: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.

Earnings Comparison

This School
$44,902
Fine and Studio Arts
National Average
$41,861
All schools, same program
School Average
$64,761
All programs at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale

Program Details

Bachelor's
Credential Level
28
Completers (IPEDS)
1,071
Schools Offering

Debt & ROI

$25,000
Median Debt
0.56
Debt-to-Earnings (Favorable)
$208/mo
Est. Monthly Payment
$44,902
Median Earnings

Fine and Studio Arts at Other Schools

School Median Earnings Median Debt
University of Southern California $72,428 $19,750
Dartmouth College $68,523 $13,663
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor $66,846 $18,767
Vassar College $63,418 $18,985
Sacred Heart University $61,998 -
Connecticut College $61,321 $21,500
Brown University $60,985 $17,300
Ramapo College of New Jersey $60,757 $22,791
Fordham University $60,515 $25,250
Binghamton University $60,299 $17,750

About the Data

Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.

Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.

PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.